LOCATION AUGANAUSH MNEstablished Series
TAXONOMIC CLASS: Fine, smectitic, frigid Mollic Albaqualfs
TYPICAL PEDON: Auganaush loam with a plane slope of 1 percent on a glacial moraine in a deciduous forest. (Colors are for moist soil unless otherwise stated).
A--0 to 4 inches; black (10YR 2/1) loam; very dark gray (10YR 3/1) dry; weak fine granular structure; friable; many fine roots; 2 percent gravel; neutral; abrupt smooth boundary. (3 to 6 inches thick)
E--4 to 9 inches; light brownish gray (2.5Y 6/2) fine sandy loam; light gray (2.5Y 7/2) dry; moderate fine subangular blocky structure; very friable; few fine prominent olive yellow (2.5Y 6/6) Fe concentrations; many fine roots; 2 percent gravel; neutral; clear smooth boundary. (1 to 8 inches thick)
Btg1--9 to 18 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) clay; weak medium prismatic structure parting to moderate medium angular blocky; firm; common medium roots; many faint dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 2 percent gravel; common medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) Fe concentrations; neutral; clear smooth boundary.
Btg2--18 to 25 inches; olive gray (5Y 4/2) clay; strong medium angular blocky structure; very firm; many medium roots; many faint dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) clay films on faces of peds and in pores; 2 percent gravel; common medium prominent light olive brown (2.5Y 5/6) Fe concentrations; neutral; clear wavy boundary. (Combined thickness of the Btg horizons is 6 to 30 inches)
Btkg--25 to 32 inches; olive gray (5Y 5/2) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; many medium roots; few faint dark olive gray (5Y 3/2) clay films in old root channels; common medium irregularly shaped carbonates in seams and masses; 4 percent gravel; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and olive yellow (5Y 6/6) Fe concentrations; slightly effervescent; slightly alkaline; gradual wavy boundary. (0 to 15 inches thick)
BCkg--32 to 60 inches; light olive gray (5Y 6/2) clay loam; weak medium subangular blocky structure; firm; common medium irregularly shaped carbonates in seams and masses; 6 percent gravel; common medium prominent yellowish brown (10YR 5/6) and olive yellow (5Y 6/6) Fe concentrations; strongly effervescent; moderately alkaline.
TYPE LOCATION: Clearwater County, Minnesota; about 3 miles north and 1 mile west of Shevlin; 1000 feet west and 100 feet north of the southeast corner of section 5, T. 147 N., R. 36 W.
RANGE IN CHARACTERISTICS: The depth to free carbonates ranges from 16 to 40 inches. Rock fragments of mixed lithology make up 1 to 10 percent by volume of the profile. The linear extensibility (LE) from the mineral soil surface to 100 cm is less than 6 cm but averages about 5.6 centimeters.
The A horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y or is neutral, value of 2 or 3, and chroma of 0 to 2. It is loam, silt loam, or clay loam. It is moderately acid to neutral. Some pedons have an Ap horizon that includes chroma of 3.
The E horizon has hue of 10YR or 2.5Y, value of 4 to 6 and chroma of 1 or 2. It typically has high chroma redoximorphic features. It is loam, fine sandy loam, silt loam, or very fine sandy loam. It is moderately acid to neutral. When tilled, the E horizon may be completely incorporated within the plow layer.
The Btg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 or 5 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is clay, silty clay, clay loam, or silty clay loam. It has faint to prominent clay films on the faces of peds. It is moderately acid to neutral. Clay content ranges from 35 to 60 percent.
The Btkg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 4 to 6, and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay. It has faint to prominent clay films on faces of peds or in old root channels. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline.
The Bkg or BCkg horizon has hue of 2.5Y or 5Y, value of 5 to 7 and chroma of 1 or 2. It is loam, clay loam, silty clay loam, or silty clay. It is slightly alkaline or moderately alkaline. Calcium carbonate equivalent ranges from 15 to 30 percent. Some pedons have a Cg horizon.
COMPETING SERIES: There are no other series in this family.
GEOGRAPHIC SETTING: Auganaush soils are on plane to slightly concave positions on glacial moraines. Slope gradients are 0 to 2 percent. These soils formed in loamy to clayey calcareous glacial till and water modified glacial till of Late Wisconsin Age. Mean annual air temperature ranges from 38 to 43 degrees F. Mean annual precipitation ranges from 22 to 28 inches. Frost-free period ranges from 100 to 125 days. Elevation above sea level ranges from 1050 to 1650 feet.
GEOGRAPHICALLY ASSOCIATED SOILS: These are the Cathro, Hamre, Lupton, Naytahwaush, Mahkonce, and Seelyeville soils. Naytahwaush soils have higher chroma in the argillic horizon and are well drained. Mahkonce soils have higher chroma in the matrix or ped coatings and/or lack Fe depletions in the argillic horizon. The Naytahwaush and Mahkonce soils are on convex higher lying landscapes. Cathro, Hamre, Lupton and Seelyeville soils are very poorly drained soils in depressions.
DRAINAGE AND PERMEABILITY: Poorly drained. Surface runoff is low. Permeability is moderately slow or slow. Depth to seasonal high saturation is 0.5 to 1.5 feet during the months April to June in normal years.
USE AND VEGETATION: Most areas are in forest. The main tree species are quaking aspen, balsam poplar, American elm, black ash, and balsam fir. Some areas are cropped to small grain, corn and alfalfa. Native vegetation is mixed hardwoods with periodic cover of grasses. .
DISTRIBUTION AND EXTENT: MLRA-57. Northwestern Minnesota. This soil is not extensive.
MLRA SOIL SURVEY REGIONAL OFFICE (MO) RESPONSIBLE: St. Paul, Minnesota
SERIES ESTABLISHED: Mahnomen County, Minnesota, 1992.
REMARKS: Diagnostic horizons and features recognized in this pedon are: ochric epipedon - the zone from the surface to a depth of 9 inches (A and E horizon); albic horizon - the zone from 4 to 9 inches (E horizon); abrupt textural change at the contact of the albic and argillic (fine sandy loam to clay); argillic horizon - the zone from 9 to 25 inches (Btg horizons); aquic moisture regime based on the low chroma and mottles below the A horizon.
This soil could be challenged for a Vertic Albaqualf. Representative values for textures and clay content were used for correlation.
ADDITIONAL DATA: Refer to MAES Central File Code number 4328 for lab results of the typical pedon.